candapack Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I wanted a Gaslow system fitted, with ONE 11kg bottle. I made the arrangements by telephone with a well respected and customer service award winning dealer (mind you, they all seem to have awards, I think they might take turns), specifically mentioning the fact that I only wanted one bottle to free up space in the gas locker for other stuff. Duly took the van in. On collection, found they had fitted one 6kg bottle, AND an automatic changeover valve. On remonstrating with the service MANAGER, he actually said that I hadn't specified what size of bottle I wanted, and didn't know what an automatic changeover valve was for. On speaking to the fitter, he said that the valve was in case I wanted to use an additional Calor bottle - a reasonable assumption in the absence of any actual instructions, I suppose, but couldn't explain the 6kg bottle. Going back to the manager, HE couldn't explain why, if I allegedly hadn't told them what size of bottle I wanted, they didn't pick up a telephone to ask me. All sorted of course, but what a massive pain in the behind. And before anybody says it, I accept my own incompetence in not putting my instructions in writing, an oversight I would never have made at work. But really, are we now in a place where you must assume that everything will be done wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 " Is incompetence becoming the norm ? " No. But breakdowns in communication are very common. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I think it's VERBAL instructions that are the weakness, the manager probably forgot your conversation with him, almost as soon as the phone was put back into the cradle. The Engineer was obviously told what the manager 'Thought' you had said !! he didnt remember, so made it up. Next Time I would talk to the organ grinder (the Engineer) not the monkey. (just an old sceptic engineer !). Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candapack Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 malc d - 2015-06-17 8:28 PM " Is incompetence becoming the norm ? " No. But breakdowns in communication are very common. ;-) But I see this as a bit more than a communication breakdown. This is the senior person in the service department of a big dealer taking a telephone instruction, and either not writing it down (probable) or losing his notes (charitable), and then just busking it rather than contacting his customer for clarification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 malc d - 2015-06-17 8:28 PM " Is incompetence becoming the norm ? " ;-) YES it is and it's getting worse in most walks of life and too many businesses both small and large as our willingness to accept inept, incompetent and apathetic workmanship and even worse to help them make excuses for it becomes more the norm. If the fitter didn't know what to fit he should have asked the manager and if the manager didn't know, or had forgotten he should have asked the customer. The customer - remember them - they are the ones that businesses are allegedly in business to provide a service to and to follow instructions from. So no more excuses the supplier was inept and apathetic in both the fitting and the pathetic excuses afterwards, so tell them to shove the gas bottle where the sun don't shine and go somewhere else - and hope for better treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxli Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 An opinion: Hi I'm not sure written instructions will be any better nowadays. I'm newly retired, but taught special needs (learning difficluites and behavioural issues) for many years. I've witnessed not only general literacy getting worse and worse and even worse, but also cognitive ability in general. Increasingly more and more learners entering the workplace in the last few decades are often unable to construct anything more than a basic functional sentence and equally unable to correctly understand anything more than that, verbal or written. Thus breakdown in communication! Yes OK, I'm talking about extremes, but it does pay to issue instructions in short easy to understand sentences. Trouble is, those of us in mature years remember other times, which don't correspond to the modern world. Politicians would like to blame the teachers, or is it kids spending too much time on computer games and passive consumption of media instead of reading? Regards Alan www.stories4learning.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
campervanista Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 "Send three and fourpence" - Anyone remember that? Surely in this day and age to confirm every thing by e-mail is the answer. I know our dealer uses e-mail to convey info/instructions internally. About a hundred years ago my wife and I used to frequent a restaurant run by a gentleman from eastern Europe. Inside the menu folder his customer service philosophy was stated:- "The customer is the purpose of our work, not the interruption of it." We always ate well. Things are a bit different now! Ron Pharo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomongrundy Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 There's a lot to be said for doing it yourself. Probably cheaper to buy from a Gaslow supplier, certainly cheaper to fit and you know you're getting what you want. Despite being a doddering 73 year old I fitted my Gaslow system (11kg bottle, filler, pipework and change over valve) in about 2 hours - why couldn't you? Checked over by a competent gas engineer for no payment and has worked fine ever since. We're off to France in an hour - see you next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 candapack - 2015-06-17 8:46 PM malc d - 2015-06-17 8:28 PM " Is incompetence becoming the norm ? " No. But breakdowns in communication are very common. ;-) But I see this as a bit more than a communication breakdown. This is the senior person in the service department of a big dealer taking a telephone instruction, and either not writing it down (probable) or losing his notes (charitable), and then just busking it rather than contacting his customer for clarification. Forgive me, but it appears it was also a customer who, having made an arrangement by 'phone, did not reiterate what he required when delivering his van for the work to be done - to be sure everyone was "on the same page". Distractions are not that unusual, and things do get forgotten. I would say the same of the company involved: it would have been far more sensible for them to double check what you wanted before commencing work. Glasshouses and stones, though? :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candapack Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Brian Kirby - 2015-06-18 10:15 AM Forgive me, but it appears it was also a customer who, having made an arrangement by 'phone, did not reiterate what he required when delivering his van for the work to be done - to be sure everyone was "on the same page". Distractions are not that unusual, and things do get forgotten. I would say the same of the company involved: it would have been far more sensible for them to double check what you wanted before commencing work. Glasshouses and stones, though? :-D I already accepted some responsibility for not putting my instructions in writing. A mistake I will not make again. But you are forgiven. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candapack Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Solomongrundy - 2015-06-18 9:22 AM There's a lot to be said for doing it yourself. Probably cheaper to buy from a Gaslow supplier, certainly cheaper to fit and you know you're getting what you want. Despite being a doddering 73 year old I fitted my Gaslow system (11kg bottle, filler, pipework and change over valve) in about 2 hours - why couldn't you? Checked over by a competent gas engineer for no payment and has worked fine ever since. We're off to France in an hour - see you next month. Well, bully for you. I'll put your crass question down to pre-holiday excitement, you have absolutely no idea what physical limitations I may or may not have. Enjoy France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaggy Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 I can relate to this type of situation only too well, only from the other side. Until one month ago I was a sales manager for a large multi franchise national company. I found it almost impossible to find staff with the right work ethic or any common sense. As many of the older technicians retire /leave to go elsewhere, experience is lost and there is a gap in knowledge which is in my experience not being filled. The service managers day is quite often taken up with resolving the problems caused by his own staff and therefore constantly " firefighting". In the OP complaint the service reception person should have asked all the correct questions to enable the correct work to be carried out. However he will probably find that that the service counter staff are new / inexperienced and probably have no knowledge about motorhomes, therefore the correct questions were not asked. It would be interesting to see the original workshop job card that was given to the technician to instruct him what work to carry out. It is a good idea when you have several problems to sort out that a list is made, but should not be necessary for what should be a simple installation job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Having decided to buy a set of tyres from an online retailer, and arranging fitting by one of their fitting partners I thought it prudent to phone the fitters first explaining it was a 7 metre by 2.7 metre high vehicle, and weighed 3300 Kg, they said, no problem. The day arrived, my Rapido driven in, then 5 or 10 minutes later I was informed their jack had "exploded" and I would need to come back,as this would involve a further round trip of 70 miles, and more wasted time I was less than impressed, and made that quite clear. It transpired they only had one jack, and on further questioning had only a 3.5 ton capacity which they assumed would do the job. ,Three hours later after they had zoomed off somewhere to borrow a larger jack they completed the job, a complaint to the tyre supplier via email, has five weeks later remained unanswered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 RE: Is incompetence becoming the norm? In my experience its standard practice at main dealers *-) ............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxli Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Hi 'Shaggy' Been there done that! Was manager of a small IT firm before moving to Switzerland and starting teaching (now retired). It was difficult back then in the 90s and from what I hear of increasingly great concern now. What's going to happen to society? Echos of Aldous Huxley maybe? If I was younger, I might be forced one day to consider 'busking' for pennies in Bejing with a card around my neck stating "Former Swiss Music Teacher". Similar to the ex teacher from Ukraine I saw in the market place here recently. Even here in Switzerland, which you would think of as a well educated country, the seeds of decay are present. Someone I know at a large Swiss manfacturer of commuter trains, with worldwide exports, told me they just can't get suitable apprentices. The applicants are often moody, uncooperative and unable to do simple calculations or understand procedures and manuals. Their answer is recruit from Eastern Europe, India and China! Having said that, many small Swiss firms are still family run and often very good indeed. My Flash is serviced by a local family firm who are excellent and know all their customers. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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